Duncan’s family had spent the night on Monday scouring the area after the police dive squad suspended their search.

Friends took to Facebook to share their grief, launching a tribute page to pay homage to their mate.

One friend posted “gone too soon my brother Duncan” while another said “I didn’t even get to say goodbye”.

School friend Devin Arthur wrote: “words cannot justify the pain, anger & heartbreak I feel upon finding this out. He had his whole life yet to be lived. I’ll be sure to tell my kids about our stories one day.”

Mr Alston told the Courier-Mail that he dived down to save Duncan and would return to help search efforts today.

“He was my best friend. I was the guy that rang the police and dived down to find him,” he said.